THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINIANA 


C378 

UK3 
l88Bf 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00039136498 


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ADDRESS 


TO    THE 


Graduating  Class 


AT   THE 


UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA, 


At  Commencement,  June  2d,  1881. 


BY   GENERAL  E.  J.   MALLETT, 

OF  NEW  YORK, 

OF    TliE    CL.A.SS    OF    1818. 


RALEIGH : 
Edwards,  Broughton  &  Co.,  Steam  Printers  and  Binders. 

188L 


< 


EXORDIUM, 


Mr.  President  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : 

"  You'd  scarce  expect  one  of  my  age, 
To  speak  in  public  on  the  stage." 

And  I  am  quite  sure  you  are  not  more  surprised  to  see 
me  than  I  am  to  find  myself  here.  Little  did  I  dream,  when 
I  said  farewell  to  "  Alma  Mater  "  just  three  score  and  three 
years  ago,  that  I  would  reappear  at  this  time  and  in  this 
place. 

The  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Green,  of  Mississippi,  the  Reverend 
Doctor  Morrison,  of  Charlotte,  and  myself,  are  the  battered 
remains  of  the  class  of  1818.  I  had  fondly  cherished  the 
hope  of  meeting  them  here,  and  though  I  am  disappointed 
in  that  hope,  yet  I  am  glad  to  be  here  myself — but  sadness 
is  mingled  with  gladness — for  of  the  many  who  bade  me 
farewell,  there  is  not  one  alive  to  welcome  my  return;  they 
all  .have  answered  the  last  roll  call,  and  have  gone  "to  that 
undiscovered  country  from  whose  bourn  no  traveller  re- 
turns," and  where  soon  I  will  join  them. 

It  is  marvellous  how  the  surroundings  here  awaken  mem- 
ories that  have  slumbered  for  more  than  half  a  century. 
Image  after  image  comes  boldly  to  the  front — the  dead  re- 
appear— and  scenes  of  the  long  ago  are  re-enacted  with  a 
fidelity  that  startles  me  with  wonderment. 

This  morning  I  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  tomb  of  the 
venerable  Joseph  Caldwell,  which  so  conspicuously  deco- 
rates the  campus.  No  one  who  knew  him  can  ever  forget 
him.  A  man  of  a  blameless  and  useful  life ;  gigantic  in 
intellect  and  a  prince  of  learning.  And  this  institution 
never  would  have  had  birth  and  attained  its  present  matu- 
rity but  for  his  assiduous  efforts  before  the  State  Legislature. 
He  was  childless,  and  adopted  "Chapel  Hill,"  and  he  watched 


4 


over  it  with  parental  devotion  and  fondness  to  the  last  hour 
of  his  life. 

There  was  Professor  Wm.  Hooper — tall  and  erect,  polished 
in  manners,  gentle  in  disposition,  and  a  ripe  scholar.  He 
was  rigid  and  exacting  in  scholastic  discipline,  but  tender 
and  gentle  in  enforcing  his  requirements. 

There  was  Professor  Mitchell — a  guiding  star  to  his  fol- 
lowers, a  devotee  to  his  work,  an  ornament  to  the  State,  and 
a  premature  martyr  to  science. 

Those  who  knew  these  men  slightly,  admired  and  re- 
spected them,  those  who  knew  them  well,  admired,  respected 
and  honored  them,  and  those  who  knew  them  intimately, 
admired,  respected,  honored  and  loved  them.  Not  only 
eminent  as  scientists,  but  models  in  domestic  life,  and  pat- 
terns in  the  social  circle.  There  are  numerous  examples, 
(both  living  and  dead)  where  brilliant  talents  and  exalted 
eminence  have  not  walked  hand  in  hand  with  modest  merit 
and  truthful  integrit3\  Not  so  with  these  men,  for  they 
lived  and  died  without  spot  or  blemish ;  and  any  college 
State  or  nation  might  pridefully  boast  of  such  a  trio.  I  do 
not  speak  from  hearsay,  for  I  knew  them  face  to  face,  and 
I  can  see  them  now,  unchanged  as  when  we  parted.  And 
thus,  the  magic  wand  of  memory  gives  beauty  to  ashes,  and 
life  to  the  dead. 

I  now  address  the  graduating  class. 

Wheji  you  leave  this  place,  you  will  start  on  the  journey 
of  life,  and  you  will  not  find  the  road  straight  and  level  as 
a  turnpike.  There  are  crooked  places,  some  hills  and  val- 
leys, and  very  many  precipices.  Every  one  must  choose 
his  own  path,  aided  by  such  directions  as  God  has  given 
him  ;  and  there  are  so  many  wrong  paths  crossing  the  right 
one,  and  the  wrong  ones  well  beaten,  while  the  right  ones 
are  often  so  faint  you  can  scarcely  see  them  ;  and  there  are 
so  many  always  going  the  wrong  way,  that  between  the 
number  of  paths  to  puzzle,  and  the  number  of  examples  to 
mislead  you,  if  you  do  not  take  continual  heed,  you  will  be 


in  great  danger  of  turning  into  the  wrong  path,  which  leads 
to  irretrievable  ruin  ;  and  you  will  do  this,  and  scarce  per- 
ceive your  error,  until  too  late  to  retrace  your  steps. 

There  are  no  fragments  so  precious  as  those  of  time.  We 
cannot  make  an  hour,  or  even  a  moment,  but  we  can  waste 
months  and  years.  Therefore,  my  young  friends,  garner  up 
your  time  and  avoid  idleness. 

The  most  miserable  and  useless  position  a  man  can  be 
placed  in,  is  when  he  has  nothing  to  do.  An  idle  man  is  a 
sponge  on  his  fellow  man,  and  a  blight  on  society;  for,  be- 
sides setting  a  bad  example,  he  absorbs  the  industrial  hours 
of  others.  Every  man  who  is  idle,  or  gets  his  living  with- 
out work,  is  adding  so  much  to  the  misery  of  the  world,  and 
is  really  injuring  the  morals  and  happiness  of  the  human 
family,  and  he  should  be  held  responsible  for  it. 

What  would  be  our  condition  if  we  were  all  idle  ?  Who 
would  sow  and  who  would  reap?  Who  would  build  our 
houses,  make  our  clothes,  print  i»ur  books,  or  navigate  our 
ships?  Without  some  pursuit,  no  man  (in  my  opinion)  can 
be  really  happy,  or  even  hold  a  reputable  position  in  so- 
ciety ;  and  it  is  well  said,  that  the  humble  wood  sawyer  is  a 
better  member  of  society  than  the  idle  fop  without  brains  or 
occupation.  Every  one  should  be  employed  in  endeavoring 
to  enlarge  the  dominion  of  thought,  or  to  simplify  the 
means  of  subsistence,  or  to  do  something  in  some  way  to 
benefit  his  fellow  men. 

AS    A    RULE,    TO    BE    IDLE    IS    TO    BE    VICIOUS. 

There  are  now  living  hundreds,  yea  thousands,  who  are 
physically,  mentally,  morally  and  financially  bankrupt,  and 
who  can  trace  their  first  step  of  error  to  an  idle  hour. 

"  Will  you  walk  into  my  parlour, 
Said  the  spider  to  the  fly  ; 
'Tis  the  prettiest  little  parlour 
That  ever  you  did  spy  ; 


You've  only  got  to  put  your  foot 
Just  inside  of  the  door, 
And  you'll  see  so  many  pretty  things, 
You  never  saw  before." 

Yes,  in  sauntering  away  an  idle  hour,  he  was  attracted  by 
the  click  of  billiard  balls,  and  allured  by  dazzling  lights, 
and  was  tempted  to  put  his  foot  ''just  inside  of  the  door." 
And  soon  bewildered  with  music  and  dancing  girls,  and 
fascinated  with  sparkling  glasses, 

He's  madly  enticed — just  to  sip  and  to  taste. 
And  make  all  his  future — a  barren  waste. 

Do  not  misconceive  me,  and  infer  that  I  ignore  recreation, 
amusements,  and  even  fun  and  frolic,  for  these  are  natural 
outlets  to  the  emotions  of  the  young,  and  are  as  essential  to 
the  health  of  the  mind  as  sleep  is  to  the  body.  I  mean 
habitual  idleness,  and,  to  use  a  vulgarism,  a  loafe7\ 

I  am  an  advocate  for  healthful  and  harmless  amusement, 
and  plenty  of  it,  lest  we  overwork.  And  I  wf  uld  advise  you,  as 
a  sanitary  precaution,  never  to  employ  more  than  four  con- 
secutive hours  at  one  sitting  on  any  one  subject.  More  than 
that  fatigues  the  bod}'^  and  perplexes  the  mind.  It  is  not 
what  we  eat  that  gives  physical  vitality,  but  what  we  digest. 
And  it  is  not  the  number  of  volumes  we  read  that  gives  us 
knowledge,  but  it  is  what  we  remember.  If  we  overcrowd 
the  stomach,  dyspepsia  will  supervene;  and  if  we  overtax 
the  brain,  lassitude  and  sometimes  lunacy  will  ensue.  So, 
caution  is  needful,  as  well  to  guard  against  excessive  work 
as  excessive  idleness. 

A  man's  religious  belief  exerts  a  powerful  influence  over 
all  his  thoughts  and  acts.     I  quote  from  Addison  : 

''It  must  be  so,  Plato  :  thou  reasoneth  well,  else 
Why  this  pleasing  tiiought,  this  strong  desire, 
This  longing  after  immortality  ?'' 

And  what  says  Saint  Paul :  "  This  mortal  must  put  on 
immortality."     I  know  not  your  views,  my  young  friends* 


on  this  subject.  If  you  do  not  believe  in  immortality,  then 
this  world  is  a  blank,  and  life  is  not  worth  living  for.  And 
if  you  do  believe  in  it,  then  live  for  it,  and  die  for  it,  and 
believe  this  world  is  only  a  veil  obscuring  a  more  glorious 
world  behind  it.  A  world  beautiful  beyond  description' 
and  excellent  beyond  thought  or  expression. 

As  age  creeps  on,  you  will  find  life  to  be  a  series  of  dis- 
solving views.     Shakespeare  thus  quaintly  illustrates  it : 

"  'Tis  now  just  ten  o'clock — an  hour  ago  it  was  nine — and  in  an  hour 
Hence  'twill  be  eleven  ;  and  so  from  hour  to  hour  we  ripe  and  ripe, 
And  then  from  hour  to  hour  we  rot  and  rot,  and  thereby  hangs  a  tale." 

Yes,  and  a  very  long  one,  for  it  is  endless. 

You  are  now  the  sons  of  the  State.  'Tis  but  a  little  while 
since  your  fathers  were  where  you  now  are,  and  in  another 
little  while  you  will  be  the  fathers,  and  your  sons  will  oc- 
cupy your  place.  And  thus  the  scenes  continually  change. 
Then  much  devolves  upon  you  in  this  generation  and  the 
next.  Oh  !  my  young  friends,  tear  a  leaf  from  the  hook  of 
history  and  wear  it  next  your  hearts  as  a  constant  remindei; 
that  the  seeds  of  error  and  dissipation  sown  in  the  spring 
time  of  life,  will  yield  a  prolific  crop  of  sorrow  in  the  autumn 
harvest.  For  the  devotee  to  licentiousness  receives  no  re- 
quital but  remorse ;  and  finds  no  repose  but  the  grave. 
"  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  reap." 

As  the  scroll  of  time  unrolls,  you  will  discover  that  hu- 
manity is  not  the  flower  of  a  day  or  of  a  season.  It  requires 
a  lifetime  for  its  development,  and  a  long  tale  of  years  for 
its  bloom,  its  fruitage  and  its  death.  Sometimes  the  har- 
vests are  sudden,  and  sometimes  (as  in  my  case)  they  linger, 
but  though  we  may  sleep  for  ages  in  the  dust  before  resur- 
rection, yet  sooner  or  later  there  will  be  an  eternal  uprising, 
when  the  bloom  will  know  no  harvest,  when  it  will  be  pe- 
rennial spring,  when  brighter  stars  will  glitter  on  the  mantle 
of  night,  and  a  more  effulgent  sun  will  sparkle  on  the  dew 
drops  of  morning.     You  are  now  about  to  embark  on  the 


8 


voyage  of  life,  and  you  are  fully  equipped  with  all  needful 
appliances. 

Now  let  me  suggest  four  cardinal  points,  and  believe  me, 
if  you  adhere  to  them,  you  will  float  over  the  ocean  of  time 
with  never  a  ripple  or  a  wave.  Be  sober- -be  honest — always 
speak  the  truth — and  fear  nothing  but  God. 

A  man  who  is  sincere  and  thoughtful,  has  the  easiest  time 
in  the  world.  He  needs  no  prompter  for  words,  nor  guide 
for  his  acts,  because,  truth  being  always  consistent  with 
itself,  he  is  not  perplexed  about  his  words  or  his  actions. 
It  is  like  a  traveller  on  a  plain  and  level  road,  which  is  sure 
to  bring  him  safely  to  his  journey's  end,  when  by  taking 
cross  cuts  and  by- ways,  he  might  lose  himself.  You  all  now 
have  prospective  plans,  schemes  and  enterprises  which  may 
employ  months,  perhaps  years,  to  accomplish  them ;  and 
you  have  every  reasonable  hope  of  living  to  consummate 
them.  Not  so  with*  me;  my  work  is  finished  ;  I  have  no 
plans  or  prospective  enterprises  ;  and  if  I  had,  I  am  not  like 
you,  who  can  look  forward  to  years.  I  am  limited  to  days 
and  hours ;  I  have  climbed  the  hill  of  time,  and  long  ago 
passed  the  summit  level,  and  am  so  far  down  the  other  side 
that  I  can  see  the  valley  where  life's  journey  ends  And 
that  will  be  the  end  of  earth,  but  not  the  end  of  life.  For 
this  mortal  must  put  on  immortality,  and  I  will  be  changed 
in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  transformed 
and  transferred  to  another  life  and  another  world.  And  to 
what  can  we  liken  that  other  world,  and  that  other  life? 
Ah  !  my  young  friends,  volumes  have  been  written  on  that 
speculative  subject,  and  for  ages  and  ages  that  question  has 
been  asked,  and  it  is  yet  unanswered.  It  is  a  question  every 
one  must  answer  for  himself.     My  answer  is, 

IN    TE    DOMINE    SPERAVI. 

For  God  is  God  of  the  niu:ht  as  well  as  the  day, 
And  I  feel  and  know 
That  I  can  go 
Wherever  He  leads  the  way. 

Now,  farewell ;  and  I  devoutly  add — Deus  vobis  cum. 


